Plastic is ubiquitous in today's society. A great amount of plastic is specifically flowing into the packaging industry. However, economic and technical limitations cause most plastic packaging to have a linear and unsustainable life, often characterized by a very short use phase.

As a part of Tesco’s 4Rs packaging strategy – Remove, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – suppliers will be asked to accelerate progress and to go further and faster in removing plastic where alternatives are possible. The retailer will apply a particular focus to areas that can make the greatest difference at scale, as well as tackling packaging which is most at risk of ending up in the natural environment. To address the challenge, Tesco is seeking alternate solutions such as an increase in loose or unpackaged products, greater use of concentrates and reusable and refillable packaging.

As a part of the event, Tesco will set out a new aim to work with suppliers in order to remove plastic from 5 billion own brand and branded products sold each year, by 2025.

Since the 4Rs strategy was established in 2019, Tesco has improved the packaging for more than 1,500 different products and removed 1.6 billion pieces of unnecessary plastic, including multipacks, additional lids, films, and bags.